


One Day at a Time

by Ballycastle_Bat



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby!William, Babysitting, Barry Allen Sings, Bisexual Oliver Queen, Couch Cuddles, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Massage, Nightmares, Oliver Queen Has Feelings, Past Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 20:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17432675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ballycastle_Bat/pseuds/Ballycastle_Bat
Summary: Barry reminds Oliver that he needs to take things one day at a time.





	One Day at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> [[Warnings: nightmares, mentions of wounds.  
> AN: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy ♡ A snip or two from a longer heavy-AU I'll probably never finish writing. Oh well lol. ]]

Barry was lounged across the sofa, his long limbs draped across its surface haphazardly. One foot against the armrest, one on the floor. He had a book in hand as he waited for Oliver to come home. Not that Barry made too much of a habit of just idly waiting for his boyfriend to arrive, but he hasn't gotten to see him much that week.

The front door opened and closed almost silently. Barry smiled and closed his book. He smiled as Oliver appeared by the sofa.

“Hey,” there was a slight smile pulling at his lips. He liked coming home to Barry, even if he wasn't ready to admit it yet. “William?”

“He’s asleep,” Barry reassured him. He set his book down on the table. “Just put him down about fifteen minutes ago, come here.”

Oliver moved closer and set his wallet and keys down on the table before joining Barry. Oliver carefully positioned himself over him on the sofa. His head against Barry's chest so he hear his speedster heartbeat. It raced against Barry's ribcage, thudding against Oliver's ear in a way that never failed to send a certain calm wave over Oliver.

Barry gently began to knead his thumbs into Oliver's shoulders, moving slightly down his back.

A content sound formed in the back of Oliver's throat as Barry's hands began to vibrate ever so slightly. “That feels amazing but you don't have to. You had a long day too.”

“William is a good kid, you worry too much,” he pressed his knuckles against Oliver's back, gently pushing them forward as far as he could reach then back up again.

"I never said I was worried," Oliver's body soon became slack over Barry, tension slowly fading as Barry continued his actions. “You're too good to me.”

Barry rolled his eyes. He continued to work tension out of Oliver's back as he spoke. "I think--"

The sound of crying, muffled by the door reached their ears. Barry sighed and kissed the top of Oliver's head, before sliding out from under him. He moved through the house to Williams room.

“Bawer!” William’s voice called through the apartment.

Oliver followed and watched carefully from the doorway for a moment. Barry headed into the room, soon becoming illuminated by the star-shaped night light on the bedside table. Oliver followed after.

“It's okay,” Barry murmured and sat down on the tiny bed. “I'm here, your daddy's here--” he was cut off by the child rushing into his lap.

William hid his face against Barry's shirt, tiny hands bunching up the fabric. “Its okay, Will,” he murmured softly.

Oliver reached out a hand and gently pet the back of William's head. “We've got you, it's okay,” he shuffled closer to Barry. They nearly formed a wall around William with their bodies. “You're safe,” he kissed the top of his head.

Barry began to sing a low tune in an attempt to comfort the child. An old Disney song his mother had once sung to him. William’s shaking slowly subsided and his eyes drooped.

Oliver took him from Barry. “There we go,” he said softly. “I got you.”

“Do you want to sleep with us tonight?” Barry asked after a few seconds.

William nodded his head weakly, already tired again. “Yes.” He sniffed.

Oliver stood and began to carry the boy to his own room, Barry followed but took a detour to the living room. When the other two got settled, William cuddled up against Oliver's chest, Barry retrieved his book from the other room.

When Barry returned and settled himself in on the opposite side of the bed with his book, he glanced at Oliver who seemed thoughtful. “Everything okay, Ollie? Kids get nightmares sometimes, he'll be okay.”

“Laurel and I talked about having kids once,” he said softly, careful not to wake the toddler in his arms. “She said she refused to make orphans.” His hand brushed William's hair back. “At the time I thought she was exaggerating, but if I hadn't come home tonight-- I wouldn't have been there when my son needed me.”

Barry was quiet. It was almost easy to forget how _human_ Oliver really was. When he put on the suit, and when he fought … it was almost possible to believe that Oliver was something more than human.

But the fact was, Oliver Queen _was_ human. The same collection of flesh and blood as any other person. He was fast but he didn't have super speed, he was resilient but he didn't heal rapidly when he was wounded. “Did you get hurt tonight?”

Oliver nodded to his shoulder. “I may have gotten hit in the arm. I sewed it up, it's not bad. It's just, it's something I never thought too much about until William. I have more to think about now.”

Barry reached out and cradled Oliver's cheek in his hand. “Listen to me, Ollie. You came home tonight, and that's what you need to focus on. You have to take this one day at a time.”

Oliver didn't reply, and Barry wasn’t about to force him to talk. Instead, he pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Also, you're supposed to tell me when you get hurt.”

“It was just a graze … thank you for taking care of William for me.”

“You know I'm always here for you.”

“and I'm always here for you.”

“Come here,” Barry leaned down and pressed his lips against Oliver’s in a soft kiss. “Get some sleep, and I'll patrol tomorrow night. I think Tommy said he could take William.”  
  
Oliver laughed one, it was more of a soft huff. “Yeah, that's not going to happen."  
  
"I'll call Raisa before I leave, then?"  
  
Oliver nodded. "Call Raisa."

Barry used the speedforce to finish the last few pages of his book. When he finished with it he closed it and set it on the nightstand. When the lamp was turned up he turned to face Oliver. They continued to talk in hushed tones until one of them fell asleep.


End file.
